Bittersweet
by Rhyfeddol
Summary: A fashion student gets the hots for a martial artist after ordering hot chocolate. The two become friends, but both start to wish their relationship could evolve into something more...
1. Chapter 1

**Coco POV**

As I entered my favourite coffee shop, I was annoyed to see a queue. However, it gave me time to notice the new barista. She was attractive, maybe a year or so younger than me. Her voluminous blonde hair reached down to her waist, and appeared unkempt. However, the light caught it in such a way that I noticed just how glossy it was, indicating that the girl took great care of it, just didn't style it. She had friendly lavender eyes and a rather ample chest. I got so distracted from looking at her that it took me a few seconds to realise the line had moved up a bit. I stepped forward, trying not to feel embarrassed. _People get distracted all the time_, I told myself. _It's nothing to worry about. _

But damn, this girl was hot. _Be cool, Coco_, I told myself when I realised there was only one more person in front of me. _Don't make an idiot of yourself_.

"Can I help you?" the barista asked. I met her eyes and my brain decided to stop working.

**Yang POV**

"Can I help you?" I asked the girl at the front of the line. She looked a little older than me, but I couldn't tell because of the sunglasses over her face. She wore a dark brown beret over short hair a lighter shade of brown, but still quite dark. A wavy lock fell down one side of her face, fading to red at the end. She had a dark brown corset over a long-sleeved shirt the colour of cocoa. She wore a pair of dark brown trousers with ribbons on one side, held up by a black belt with gold spikes.

"Uh...yeah," the girl answered, after a second of silence. "Sorry, zoned out a little. I'll have a sal-salted caramel hot chocolate w-with soy milk, no f-f-foam, and whipped cream." She looked annoyed at something as she finished speaking.

"You okay?" I asked, getting a cup for her drink.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"Ok, well, your drink will be ready in a couple of minutes. What's your name?" I asked.

She looked confused for a second, then an expression of understanding appeared on her face. "Coco," she told me. _Hmm..._

"So, Coco's having some cocoa, is she?" I asked as I wrote her name on the cup, feeling proud of my quick wit. Coco gave the small smile people usually give when they're unimpressed at my puns but want to be polite anyway. "Sorry. Had to," I told her.

"It's fine. It actually wasn't that bad," she replied.

"Okay. Well, here's your cocoa, Coco," I said, handing her drink over. I thought she may have rolled her eyes under the shades, but it was hard to tell. As she left the store, I couldn't help but think I wanted to see her again.

Three days later, I was working the midday shift and it was quieter than usual. I was just getting bored as Coco walked in. As she approached the counter, I saw that she wore dark brown leather boots with buckles. It was a cloudy day, so she didn't have her sunglasses, but there was a shawl round her neck with a black rose for decoration and a matching bracelet on her wrist.

"Hi. Coco, was it?" I asked. I actually remembered her name perfectly; I just thought it would be weird to say _hi, Coco_.

"Yeah," she replied, sounding a bit surprised that I'd remembered her name. "I didn't get your name."

"I'm Yang. What can I get you?"

"Same as last time, if you remember what it was," she told me. I remembered it being slightly complicated, but I didn't think too hard about what specifically she wanted because I'd found I liked her voice and I wanted to make her talk more.

"Something about caramel hot chocolate? Sorry, I forget the rest," I said, only slightly sorry.

"It's fine," Coco replied, before restating her order from three days ago.

"So. What do you do, when you're not buying hot chocolate?" I asked as I prepared her drink.

"I'm studying fashion design at Beacon," she answered. "I wanna have my own label at some point."

"Nice. How's it going?"

"Fine, but one of my professors has some strange ideas about what looks good on me," Coco said. "He seems to think I should ditch all the brown."

"Nah, you look great in brown," I told her. She blushed a bit, and I realised what I'd said. "I mean…it's…you know…your colour…not that you look great. You do, but that's not…you know what I mean."

"Yeah. Anyway, what do you do, when you're not serving me hot chocolate?" she asked, still blushing somewhat.

"I'm a hairstyling student, also at Beacon. But in my free time I do kung fu."

"Huh. Didn't really see you as a martial artist," she said, frowning.

"It's mainly to protect my hair," I explained, prompting a laugh.

"Seriously?" Coco asked incredulously.

"Okay, that's only part of the reason. I don't want people giving me trouble, which, not to sound cocky or anything, is bound to happen sooner or later." She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I can certainly see why they'd give you trouble," she said, looking up and down my body. I'd long since gotten used to people doing that, but it still tended to bother me. Strangely, though, I didn't have a problem with Coco doing it. "Ever needed to defend yourself?"

"No, but it never hurts to be prepared."

"Fair point. How long have you been training?" she asked.

"Since I was twelve. I have a black belt now, but I keep training anyway." She looked impressed.

"Well, remind me not to mess with you."

"Just don't touch my hair and you'll be fine," I told her. She laughed again.

"I have to get to class now, but it was nice talking. See you around?" Coco asked.

"Yeah, sure. See you."

**Coco POV**

As I turned to leave, I thought about my conversation with Yang. _Black belt, huh? That's so hot_. The next thing I knew, there was a pain in my forehead and someone was snickering behind me.

"You okay there?" Yang asked, and I realised I'd walked into the door.

Fully aware of the blush on my face, I didn't turn around as I answered, "yeah, I'm good, thanks. See you." _This could get interesting_, I thought as I exited the store.

**A/N: So that's a thing. Haven't seen any YangxCoco fics, so I wrote one. I also wrote it because they're two of my favourite characters and they seemed like a good match. Until we have an official name, I'm dubbing this ship "Hot Chocolate". If there is an official name and I've been a prat, someone tell me in a review or PM, please. Anyway, this is AU, as I'm sure you deduced already. I don't know how long this fic will be, but it should be at least a few chapters. I'm writing to fill the void caused by the hiatus, so there should be a lot of stories from me over the coming months. Anyway, leave a review and follow/favourite if you want. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yang POV**

Over the next couple of weeks, I found myself looking forward to the times Coco would enter the coffee shop. I still hadn't seen her at Beacon, but those short conversations with her during slow periods at work became the highlight of my day. There was just something about her; she was a great person to be around. My roommate, Blake, always got this knowing look on her face when I mentioned Coco, which was more often than I cared to admit.

One day, after I'd finished chatting with Coco, Blake walked into the store. Whether it was coincidence that she'd come for coffee when she knew I'd be working, I wouldn't find out. She passed Coco on her way to the counter.

"Yang, when are you gonna ask her out?" she asked after ordering a double espresso.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied, looking daggers at the Faunus.

"Your expression says otherwise, as does the frequency at which you talk about her at home."

"…Shut up."

"You're not helping your case, Yang," Blake told me, raising an eyebrow. I kept silent. "Well, if you ever want to talk, I'll listen." She took her coffee and left the store, leaving me wondering about what she'd said. Did she think I was falling for Coco? Furthermore, was she right? There was no denying that Coco was fairly attractive, even if she tended to cover half her face with sunglasses. For some reason I really liked her voice, but I couldn't explain why. Admittedly, I talked about her a lot at home, but even so, I didn't think I _liked _her, at least not in the way Blake seemed to think I did.

When I got off work, I went to my dorm to get my training gear and headed to kung fu practice, hoping it would clear my head a little. After donning my uniform and tying my hard-earned black belt round my waist, I headed outside to make the short walk to the gym where I trained. Along the way, I wasn't expecting to bump into Coco. Not literally, mind you; she was sitting on a bench with her laptop, drinking what I figured was probably a salted caramel hot chocolate with soy milk, whipped cream and no foam. I got a weird feeling in my chest when I realised someone else must have served it to her.

"Oh, hey, Yang," she said as I walked past.

"Hi, Coco," I answered. "What's up?"

"Not much, just doing an assignment. Didn't feel like sitting inside. Going to train?"

"Yeah. You can come watch, if you want," I offered, then mentally smacked myself. Why would she want to sit and watch me practice the same techniques over and over for an hour and a half?

"Okay, sure. Just give me a minute," she replied, to my surprise. I figured she was saving her work, because a few seconds later she closed her laptop and put it in her bag. Picking up her drink, she asked, "so where do you train?"

"A couple of blocks away. My uncle owns the gym. Shall we go?"

"Yeah, sure. You sure he won't mind me just watching?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned about that thought.

"Nah, it's fine. He'll probably ask if you want a trial class, but don't do it if you don't want to."

"Okay. I might sometime, but I can't exactly do kung fu in this outfit," Coco said, gesturing at her clothing. I realised she was wearing the outfit she had on when I'd first met her, and smiled.

"Good point. You know, it's strange, not serving you hot chocolate."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I've also never seen you with your hair up," she replied.

"Qrow doesn't let me train with it down. I hate tying it, even if it's just a ponytail."

"Ironic that a hairstyling student prefers not to style her own hair," Coco pointed out.

"Yeah, well. But seriously, I tried to go to practice without tying my hair back once, and Qrow got a _bei dao_ off the wall and threatened to shave my head if I left it down." Coco cracked up, then asked what a _bei dao_ was. "It's a curved one-handed sword," I explained. "Generally you slash and cut with it rather than stabbing."

"Ah. He threatened to shave your head with that?"

"Yup. He's a pretty cool guy in general, but he's mildly terrifying when he has a traditional Chinese weapon in his hands. Still, he's nice enough if you stay on his good side," I answered. By this point, we had rounded the corner onto the street where Qrow's gym was located, and I saw an unfamiliar boy of about fourteen entering the building with who I assumed to be his dad.

"Does he have a lot of students?" Coco asked.

"A fair amount, but he's pretty strict about dedication. He doesn't like people who want to learn the art as a pastime, unless they have a lot of time to pass."

"Ah," my companion replied as we entered the gym.

"Hello, Yang," Qrow said when he saw me. As usual, he was dressed in his teaching outfit, which consisted of a black silk garment with an elaborate white dragon design down one side, and black silk pants designed for maximum manoeuvrability. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Coco. Coco, this is my uncle Qrow," I answered. "And no, she doesn't want to train, before you ask. She's just here to watch."

"I might give it a try some other time," Coco told Qrow. "But I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion."

"Yes, I can see that," the grandmaster replied. "Anyway, Yang, we have a new student. Mind taking him through the warm up?"

"No, that's fine, Shifu," I answered, now in the disciplined mindstate of a martial arts student. I made my way on to the mats where we trained and saw the boy I'd seen a few minutes ago, looking a bit nervous. "Hey. What's your name?" I asked him, in a gentle tone. I was used to talking to younger people, having grown up with Ruby.

"Alex," he answered quietly. He had short black hair and a pale face, with strikingly blue eyes.

"Don't be nervous. We're all really chill here. We're gonna start with the warm up, okay?" I said. He nodded, and I went through the standard warm up routine. This routine prepared all of your muscles for practicing, and took about ten minutes if you did it properly. When we were done, Qrow came over and began teaching Alex some basic kicks and punches. Meanwhile, I started practicing the many individual movements I knew, ranging from the most basic of strikes to more complicated attacks which, executed properly, could theoretically stop an untrained opponent immediately. Several times I looked at Coco, who was sitting in a chair at the edge of the room, her face impassive. It was when I got to the jumping spinning kicks that she looked impressed. These kicks were exactly what they sounded like: a three hundred and sixty degree spin in mid-air, hitting the opponent with either the inside or the outside of the foot, depending on the variant of the technique.

"How many times did you fall when learning those?" Coco asked.

"Uhhh…" I answered sheepishly, not wanting to admit the difficulty I'd once had with them.

"Oh, at least three or four times a class," Qrow called from across the room.

"Yes, thank you, Uncle," I told him, slightly annoyed, as Coco laughed. I then moved on to the _kati_, long sets of movements which accounted for multiple opponents fighting you. Again, I started basic and got to more complicated ones later. When I finished those, I started on weapon training. While I preferred to fight unarmed, and also found unarmed techniques more useful considering I was unlikely to carry traditional weapons with me to defend myself, Qrow always insisted that I became proficient with the four main weapon types of ancient China: the _dao_, which was a single-edged sword; the _jian_, which was a double-edged sword; the _gun_, which was a staff; and the _qiang_, which was a spear. When I had finished with the weapons, the second most experienced student at the gym, Lie Ren, asked if I wanted to spar.

"Ren, when don't I?" I asked. He shrugged as if to say _fair enough_, then took up a stance for the match. I also got in position, and signalled to Ren to make the first move.

**Coco POV**

Watching Yang train was quite interesting. It was clear from the speed of her attacks that she'd earned her belt, rather than getting it by being the niece of the teacher. What was the word she'd used? Sifu? Shifu? Whatever.

I found myself leaning forward in my chair as she and her fellow student began to spar. The guy was about Yang's age, with long black hair in a ponytail with a pink streak down one side. He wore a green tailcoat with black and gold trimming, with white pants. Not exactly a great fashion statement in the Western world, but he would have fit right in in twentieth century China. He didn't have a belt on, but I could tell he was on Yang's level. The two exchanged blows almost too fast for me to see. Eventually, I could see that Yang had a slight upper hand, as her opponent began to tire. They sparred relentlessly for a good five minutes before the guy forfeited.

"You did well, Ren," Yang told him breathlessly. "But I was better." _She's so cocky. Why do I like that? _Ren grunted in response. "Oh yeah, this is Coco," Yang said, gesturing at me. I gave a small wave. "Well, I'm gonna get going," the blonde announced. We left the gym together and headed back to Beacon.

"You were really good," I told Yang on the way.

"I'm a black belt. What do you expect?" she replied. I rolled my eyes. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, until we got back to the school. Yang and I were in different buildings, so we had to part.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure. Bye," she replied. I made my way up to my dorm, where my roommate, Velvet, was lounging on her bed.

"Where were you?" the Australian rabbit Faunus asked. "I thought you were going out for an hour."

"I saw Yang, and she invited me to watch her train. I took her up on the offer, because why not?"

"Oooohhhh," Velvet replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just that you went out with Yang for an hour and a half," Velvet teased.

"So?" I asked, blushing somewhat.

"I'm not stupid, Coco. Wanna talk about it?" she asked, sounding as though she actually cared, rather than wanting something to gossip about. Considering it was Velvet, I figured I could talk to her.

"I…I may have a small crush on Yang," I said, flopping down on my bed.

"And?" Velvet prompted.

"And what?" I asked.

"Anything else?"

"I don't know if she likes me. And I don't wanna tell her, because it might fuck up our friendship," I explained.

"You'll have to do something," Velvet told me quietly. "You might get lucky. Besides, from what you've told me, it sounds like you have good chemistry. Just don't stress about it, okay?"

"Yeah, you're right." With that, I entered the bathroom to change into my pyjamas, then headed to bed.

**A/N: There you go. Second chapter. First one seemed moderately well-received, so I'll keep going. I didn't mention in the first A/N, but this story is set in our world, except there are Faunus, hence Velvet being Australian and all that. The Shifu is the name for the teacher in kung fu, and according to Wikipedia is pronounced similar to "sure foo". I don't know the exact pronunciation, because at my kung fu class it's very informal and we call our teacher by his name. I don't think there were any more kung fu-related terms I didn't elaborate on, but let me know if I missed any, or just Google them. Whichever you prefer. Don't ask me how fast Yang and Coco's relationship will progress, because I don't plan stories. I write and go with it, so I don't know the answer. Oh, thanks to everyone who followed or favourited so far. That's all I have to say, so leave a review and follow/favourite if you want. Merci pour avoir lu.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Coco POV**

As I sat through my insufferably boring class about the history of fashion, I thought about Yang. I could never even understand why I had to take this class. I wanted to _design _clothes, I didn't care about what people wore before I was alive.

I knew that Yang would be working at the coffee shop when the class ended, so I decided I would go get some hot chocolate afterwards. Meanwhile, I considered what Velvet had said the night before. She was right; I couldn't just let my feelings build up inside me and do nothing about them. But how would I go about telling Yang how I felt? Simply asking _hey Yang, wanna go on a date sometime?_ seemed too blunt, not to mention that I had no idea what the blonde would want to do. On the other hand, I didn't think I'd be able to give her subtle hints that she should ask me out. Furthermore, I didn't even know if she liked girls, which could make things seriously awkward if I ever did ask her out.

It wasn't until I heard the sound of many chairs scraping back that I realised the class had finally ended. I got up and packed away my stuff, still thinking about the blonde. Those thoughts kept me occupied until I got to the store, where I figured just making small talk with Yang was my best bet.

"Hi. Usual?" she asked as I approached the counter.

"Yeah, please. How are you?"

"Pretty good, thanks. You?" Yang answered, getting a cup for my hot chocolate.

"Better, now that I'm out of that stupid class," I said.

"What did you have?"

"Fashion history. Apparently it'll help us understand trends over time, which for some reason will let us predict new ones before they happen. Frankly I just don't see the point of it," I explained as Yang gave me my drink.

"That sucks. Hey, I was gonna ask you something," she said while putting my money in the cash register. Sipping my drink, I raised an eyebrow, silently telling the blonde to continue. "I have a kung fu tournament in a few weeks. It's an international affair, some of the best fighters from around the world will be there. Wanna come watch me win?"

Yet again, I found myself wondering why I was attracted to her cockiness. "Sure. But what if you don't win?" I asked, smiling.

"Coco, this is me we're talking about," Yang deadpanned. "That hurts my feelings." I couldn't tell if she was serious about that or not. Something must have shown in my face, because Yang suddenly smiled and said, "I'm just messing with you! But seriously, you gonna come?"

"Yes, Yang, if I'm able to. When and where is it?"

"New York City, from the eighteenth to the twentieth of May," she answered, smiling. "That's a Friday to a Sunday, if you're wondering." I didn't have any classes on Fridays, so I was quite pleased by that.

"That works. How are we getting there?"

"Qrow's renting a coach bus. He asked all his students who are participating to find out if they're bringing a guest so he'd know how many people are going," Yang explained.

"Does he want guests to pay for like, accommodations and stuff? New York isn't cheap," I asked.

"Nah. Qrow's...reasonably well-off, let's just say, but if you're offering I'll let him know."

"Yeah, please do. I hate feeling like a freeloader. Hey, when do you get off?" I inquired, struck by a sudden thought.

"Preferably when I'm alone and comfortable," Yang answered with a wink. It was only then that I realised what I'd said.

"No...that's not...that's not what I meant..." I exclaimed. A combination of embarrassment and being in hysterics made it difficult for me to speak.

"I know, I'm just really dirty-minded. But to answer our question, in about ten minutes. Why?"

"Wanna hang out after?" I asked when I could talk again.

"Sure. What do you wanna do?" Shit. I hadn't thought that far ahead.

"I don't know, just whatever we feel like."

"Kay. See you later," Yang said. I wondered why she was saying that, until I turned and saw another customer entering the shop.

"Bye," I replied, walking towards the door. Ever since the day I'd first met Yang, I was always careful to not get too distracted to open the door. I hadn't crashed into it since that day, but even so, I didn't want to make a fool of myself in front of her again. I wandered round campus aimlessly for ten minutes before going back to the coffee shop to meet Yang. She was just leaving as I arrived, and she waved when she saw me.

"Hey," she said when there was less distance between us.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Not much. Mind if we head back to my dorm so I can change into something more comfortable?" I realised she was still wearing her barista uniform, and nodded. I followed her to her room, making small talk along the way. When we got there, I saw a black-haired girl sitting on her bed, reading a book. She wore a black bow over her head, and a pair of black leggings that faded to purple. Over those, she wore some white shorts. "Oh, this is my roommate, Blake," Yang told me, gesturing at the girl. "Blake, Coco."

"What's up?" I asked.

"Not much," Blake answered, not taking her eyes off her book. "You the same Coco Yang always talks about?"

"I heard that!" Yang called from the bathroom.

"I…Maybe?" I answered, blushing. _Yang talks about me a lot? Why?_

"Ignore her, Coco," Yang told me, exiting the bathroom. "You should hear her talking about this guy named Sun Wukong."

"I do _not _talk about him a lot!" Blake protested, glaring.

"That's because you don't _talk_, hun. But when you do, it's about him," Yang smirked. As Blake began blushing furiously, Yang made her way to the door. She was now dressed in black short shorts with a belt attached to an asymmetrical white back skirt, with a tan vest over what I figured must have been a yellow crop top. The outfit exposed her flat stomach, and I had to force myself not to stare. On her feet, she wore knee-high brown platform boots made of leather, with different length orange socks. "Come on, let's go," she told me, opening the door. "So, anything in particular you wanted to do?"

"You have to wake up early tomorrow? We could go for a drink," I suggested.

"Sure. I know a club where I can get free drinks not too far from here."

"Ummm…why do you get free drinks?" I asked.

"That, my friend, is a story for another time," Yang answered, laughing a little. "Let's just say no one in there will give you trouble as long as you're with me." I frowned, but I could tell she wasn't going to elaborate.

The walk to the club took about ten minutes, and was uneventful. When we got there, I could tell it was my kind of place. I could hear the music blaring from down the street, and disco lights flashed through the windows. Yang entered first, with me following close behind. As soon as the bartender saw the blonde, an expression of fear crossed his face and he straightened his tie, obviously trying to look professional. I raised an eyebrow at Yang, who gave me a look that said _I'll explain some other time_.

"I'll start with a strawberry sunrise, no ice," she told the bartender as she approached, shouting to be heard over the music. "What do you want, Coco?"

"Rum and Coke, please." Yang looked at me strangely. "What?" I asked.

"Didn't figure you'd start so strong," she explained.

"Blondie!" someone exclaimed. I turned to see a tall, well-dressed man approaching. He wore a black vest over a white dress shirt with a red tie. He had grey eyes, short black hair and a black moustache and beard. "Everything…okay for you?" Despite seeming like an intimidating man, he sounded somewhat nervous.

"Yes, Junior. Everything's fine. Why do you ask?" Yang replied.

"I like making sure my patrons are satisfied," Junior answered. "I'll leave you to it," he added, walking off.

"You gonna explain why he sounded nervous?" I asked.

"Him and his staff are afraid of me," Yang explained. "He tried to hit on me the first time I came in here, which I found slightly creepy, given he's about twice my age. So I punched him. Now they give me free drinks whenever I want."

"I take it he owns the club?"

"Yeah. I think the reason he didn't ban me is because I bring people fairly often and they end up coming without me at some point and actually paying, so it's better for business." I must have had a weird look on my face, because Yang suddenly clarified, "I don't mean on dates or anything, I'm not like that. I just party a lot." I breathed a mental sigh of relief. I didn't want Yang turning out to be the sort of person to bounce around. That would be bad for me. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see a guy in his mid-twenties, obviously drunk.

"Buy you a drink?" he asked me, words slurring. The stench of alcohol on his breath wafted towards me.

"You can learn how to hold your liquor," I replied. "Also, run along before I stab you in the eye with my shoe." I was wearing my favourite high heels, so I knew that would work if things got ugly. The guy blinked, then hobbled off, unstable on his feet.

"That has got to be the best rejection I've ever heard," Yang laughed from beside me.

"The bare minimum to be allowed to buy me a drink is that you're sober when you ask."

"I'll bear that in mind," Yang said with a wink. _Wait, why's she winking at me? _I wondered. For the next couple of hours, Yang and I just sat at the bar, talking and drinking. I found that she could hold her liquor at least as well as I could, which was impressive. I'm not exactly a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. After a while, I began to get bored.

"Wanna head back?" I asked. Yang shrugged, and we headed towards the door. Surprisingly, she was perfectly steady on her feet. We got pack to Beacon shortly thereafter, and I was annoyed that we had to part again. "See you tomorrow," I said, trying to hide the trace of disappointment in my voice.

"Bye, Coco," the blonde replied, blowing me a kiss. I was momentarily taken aback. _She's just being a flirt, right? That can't mean anything. Can it? Isn't she like that with everyone? _

These thoughts and more spiralled through my mind as I headed up to my room. Velvet was nowhere to be found, so I decided to go to bed. My last thought before being overcome by sleep was _does Yang like me?_

**A/N: Two in one day. I'm on a roll here. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I'm gonna say something in regards to updates: they've only been frequent so far because I haven't had any schoolwork to take precedence, but that could change, so don't be surprised if there aren't any new chapters for days at a time. So, **_**was **_**Yang just being a flirt, or does she like Coco? I'll let you lot think about that. What else? Oh, I should probably point out that Beacon is in Washington, DC. Don't ask me why, it just is. The tournament will probably be a full chapter on its own, but it may take up some of the one after it as well. Gonna be another familiar face popping up there, too.**** De qui est-ce que vous pensez que je parle? ****French is only my second language, so that may not have been entirely correct. Also, from what I understand, French isn't spoken properly here in Quebec. Anyway, me speaking French for that question wasn't a hint. I just felt like doing it. Or maybe it was a hint, who knows (aside from me, obviously)? Well, that wraps it up, so leave a review and follow/favourite if you enjoyed. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yang POV**

After turning away from Coco, I felt like an idiot. Why the hell had I blown her a kiss? Would she think I had some ulterior motive to befriending her? I was so distracted by worrying about those thoughts that I almost walked past my dorm room. I entered, and saw Blake without a book for once. However, she had a look on her face that bothered me somewhat.

"Sooo...how'd it go?" she asked.

"How did what go?"

"You and Coco, just there now," she answered.

"We were just hanging out, Blake," I told her, decidedly unimpressed at her line of questioning.

"Sure you were."

"You want me to put catnip in your pillowcase?" I asked irritably. Some would consider that question racist, given Blake's feline traits, but we'd known each other long enough for her to have realised I'm only joking when I made comments like that. Even so, I generally tried to avoid them out of respect for the bookworm.

She gasped in mock surprise, before exclaiming, "you wouldn't!" I raised an eyebrow as if to say _try me, honey_. She didn't seem fazed. "Seriously though, Yang. It's clear you like her. Are you gonna do something about it?"

"I invited her to New York with me! What more do you want?" I asked.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but most of that weekend will be spent with her in the stands and you fighting strangers, will it not?"

"Well, yeah," I admitted. "But not all of it."

Blake sighed. "Be honest with me, Yang. Do you like her?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then do something about it. This masking how you feel…it's very uncharacteristic of you." She spoke softly, telling me she was actually concerned about my situation.

"What if I fuck up, or…come on too strong, or…she thinks I'm weird?"

"Yang Xiao Long, is that insecurity in your voice?" Blake demanded, smiling a little.

"Course it isn't," I answered, also smiling. "But seriously."

"Not my area," she replied wistfully.

"Then why did you say you'd listen if I ever wanted to talk?" I asked, suddenly confused.

"Because _listening _is something I'm good at." For such an antisocial person, the Faunus could say some infuriating things.

"Fair point. I guess you _do _have four ears," I teased. She gave me a death stare, but there was a smile on her face.

"So, getting back on topic: what are you gonna do?" she asked, suddenly serious again.

"I don't know. I'll think about it."

"Don't think. You'll second-guess yourself and do nothing," she told me.

"I thought this wasn't your area?"

"I've uh…read a lot of romance novels," she answered. _Well played, Blake. You got yourself out of that one._

"Good talk, Blake," I said truthfully. "Very uncharacteristic of you," I added cheekily. She threw her pillow at me. I threw it back before going to the bathroom to get my pyjamas on. As I lay in bed, I thought about Coco. Should I just ask her out next time I saw her, or be less straightforward in my approach? Rather than dwelling on the matter, I decided to just go to sleep.

Over the next few weeks, I didn't see Coco very often, because I was spending increasingly longer amounts of time at the gym, training for the tournament. I'd even cut back on my hours at the coffee shop to make more time. It wasn't until two days before we were due to leave for New York that I had time for a real conversation with the girl, one that involved something other than hot chocolate.

"I've been meaning to ask you, where've you been lately?" she asked me after I'd served her her signature drink.

"Training, mostly. You definitely coming?" I'd been having this irrational thought that she might suddenly decide to bail on me.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" she replied. I shrugged, and she continued, "you think you're ready?" I gave her the cockiest _what do you think _look I could muster, and she laughed. "You know what I mean. You said it yourself; the best fighters from around the world will be there."

"Yeah, but this is me, remember?" She rolled her eyes at the question.

"Just don't get overconfident. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Aww, you're so sweet," I told her playfully.

"Shut up, Yang. Am I not allowed to be concerned about my friends' well-being?" she asked, blushing a bit.

"I'm just saying. I mean, if I didn't know better…never mind."

"What would happen if you didn't know better, Yang? Do tell," Coco said, suddenly blushing more.

"Nah, it's nothing. Forget I said anything." _If she picks up on that, surely she'll just think it was harmless flirting, right? Can't have her confronting me before I'm ready._

"Fine then. Be like that," she told me, feigning indignation. At that point, a large amount of customers had come in, so I had to serve them. "Bye," Coco said, turning to leave.

"Bye."

I didn't see her at all until the day we were leaving for the tournament. Ren, Qrow and I were standing outside Qrow's gym, waiting for a couple more students and everyone's invitees to arrive. Our overnight bags were already in the coach Qrow had rented, which idled on the street in front of us.

A sudden scream of "REEEENNNN!" alerted me to the fact that Ren's best friend, Nora, had arrived. The girl was short, with ginger hair, and was batshit crazy. She was nice enough, but could be a little overwhelming. Within a few minutes, everyone else showed up. In total, there were three other students besides Ren and me, along with four guests, Coco and Nora included. With the coach fully packed, we all filed on board. Coco and I took the back row for ourselves, which no one else seemed to mind. As the coach trundled north-east, everyone got comfortable for the four-hour journey. I noticed Coco looked a bit nervous.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Seems like something's bothering you."

"It's fine. I'm just worried about what'll happen to your ego if something goes wrong," she answered with a cheeky smile.

"We've been through this," I told her.

"Yeah, but it's fun to annoy you about it." I shook my head in exasperation, but couldn't help smiling. She really had grown on me. "Back in a minute," she suddenly said. She got up and went to talk to Qrow, who shook his head like he was politely declining something. Coco shrugged and made her way back to where I was sitting.

"What was that about?" I asked as she sat down.

"Just making sure Qrow doesn't want any money for the trip."

"I told you he wouldn't. He's won several tournaments and invested his prize money well. If we'd been taking a plane it would be different, but…" I said.

The rest of the journey was spent with everyone just making small talk and killing time. We arrived in New York around mid-afternoon and checked into our hotel, where we discovered we'd have to share beds. I wasn't too surprised, but I hadn't thought about it happening.

"So, uh…you and me?" Coco asked nervously.

"Yeah, sure. I'll sleep with you," I answered. As the brunette blushed furiously, I cursed the immature part of my brain for controlling my mouth at the worst moments. "Sorry. You know what I mean," I told her, smiling.

"No need to apologise," she told me, also smiling. "Sleeping with you would be great." _Wait, what? _I wondered. _She's flirting back?_

After everyone was settled, we went out for dinner, which was uneventful. When we got back to the hotel, Qrow insisted that Ren, the other students and I have an early night to be fully rested for the next day, so Coco and I got ready for bed.

"Hey, Yang?" she asked as she turned out the light.

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favour and don't fuck up tomorrow, okay? I couldn't bear to see you with a tarnished ego," she teased. I stuck my tongue out at her in the dark, but I didn't think she saw.

"I'll be fine," I promised.

"You'd better be," Coco told me, rolling over to go to sleep. With that, I figured I'd better go to sleep too, so I did.

The next day, Qrow had us up bright and early so we wouldn't be late for the tournament and so our guests could get decent seats. I'm not a morning person, so I barely said anything as Coco and I got ready and went downstairs for breakfast. It wasn't until I'd had three cups of coffee that my brain was ready to function.

"How you feeling?" Coco asked.

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"This is a big deal for you. I figured you'd be at least a _little _nervous," she explained.

"Nah, I'm always good. You planned your congratulatory speech yet?" I asked, prompting her to roll her eyes. "Well, the final is tomorrow morning, so you have until then."

"All right guys, let's go!" Qrow called. We filed into the parking lot and once again boarded the coach, which would take us to the venue. When we entered the building, there were three people sitting at a table, who I figured were there to mark down all the participants who'd arrived. There were also two signs pointing in opposite directions: one marked SPECTATORS; and another marked COMPETITITORS/TEACHERS.

As Qrow went to sign in, Coco unexpectedly hugged me. "Good luck," she whispered. I was going to point out how I wouldn't need it, but then I realised she even _smelt _like cocoa. _She smells really good_, I thought as she pulled away. I smiled as Qrow told us we had to go.

Ren, the other students and I followed our Shifu to the tournament floor. There were a dozen mats laid across the room, surrounded by spectator stands on three sides. The remaining wall was occupied by a giant screen. Not too many other schools had arrived yet, but I did a double take as I recognised one of the rare independent fighters skilled enough to be attending this event.

It was Pyrrha Nikos, a celebrity from the West Coast known for her athletic abilities, especially martial arts. She had Greek roots, but you wouldn't know it to see her pale white complexion and long, flaming red hair. My only thought was that if anyone was gonna beat me, it would be her.

Over the next half hour, the stands started to fill and more fighters arrived. It wasn't too long before the feedback caused by a microphone being plugged in got everyone's attention, and the announcer started to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. We are gathered here to determine the world's best young fighter. I very much doubt that you're here to hear me talk, so to our competitors: good luck, and to the viewers: enjoy!"

The screen turned on, announcing the first matchups, and I saw that I was scheduled to fight immediately.

"Don't be cocky, Yang," Qrow warned as I made my way over to the mat my match would be on. When I got there, my opponent seemed perfectly confident in his ability to beat me.

"I swear on me mum, I'm gonna win!" he told me in a British accent. I smirked as the ref told us to make the traditional sign of respect: the right fist in the open left hand, with both palms facing downwards. "Ladies first," the guy said condescendingly after the ref had signalled the start of the match. I shrugged before running towards him, jumping over the low sweeping kick he tried to trip me with. When I landed, I launched a spinning kick at his face, which connected. He went down, but got up just as quickly, looking annoyed, or "minged off", as he'd probably say. He tried to punch me in the face, so I grabbed his fist and made a wide circle with it, bringing my other hand down on his arm as I stepped back. He grunted in pain and tried a jumping spinning kick. I sidestepped and caught his leg in mid-air, swinging him down to the ground. The ref declared me the winner, and I went to stand with Qrow and the others until my next match was decided.

**Coco POV**

Yang won her first fight in no time. The guy she'd been fighting looked seriously pissed off at having been knocked out of the tournament immediately. Watching the other matches, I noticed that Yang was one of the only girls attending. The only other girl who really caught my eye was a tall redhead whose ponytail reached her waist. From what I saw of her fights, she seemed to be winning just as easily as Yang had.

The level of skill in the room was like something out of a movie. Nora cheered really loudly every time Ren did something she found cool, which hurt my ears even over the roar of the crowd. That was the problem with having twelve matches at once: there were always people cheering and booing.

Throughout the day, the only difference I noticed in Yang's matches was how long it took her to win. At each level of the competition, her fights lasted a little longer than before, but she still didn't seem in any danger of losing. _Maybe her cockiness is backed up_, I thought, hoping that cockiness wouldn't cause the blonde to make any stupid mistakes.

I didn't really know what was going on most of the time, or if the fighters were being judged on anything other than who won. Given the number of different trophies under the giant screen, I figured there were plenty of other awards to be given out.

By evening, the semi-final matches started. The mats were removed and replaced with a single larger one on a raised platform. Apparently, the two fights would be held consecutively, with the winners facing off tomorrow morning.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please," the announcer suddenly called. "Everyone fought well, but the field has now been narrowed to just four competitors. Let the semi-finals begin!"

First up were the redheaded girl and Lie Ren. They bowed, then the match started. They circled each other, neither one going on the offensive. Eventually, the redhead attacked. Ren blocked her strike and tried to counter, but the girl ducked. She then executed a low sweeping kick which Ren was able to dodge, but followed up with a spinning kick to his face. This time, he wasn't so lucky, and the redhead was awarded a point. A minute later, Ren had tied the score and the next point would win. Unfortunately for Ren, though, I could tell he was getting tired and the redhead wasn't. I figured it would be an easy win for her if he didn't do something soon. This prediction was right, as the redhead hit Ren almost too fast for me to see, then roundhouse kicked him in the stomach.

"Congratulations to Pyrrha Nikos!" the announcer called. "Good luck tomorrow, young lady."

Next up were Yang and some Chinese guy. He made the mistake of immediately charging the blonde, whose fist shot out and hit her opponent in the face. Comically, the guy's lower half kept moving as his upper half stopped. As he was in free-fall, Yang brought her elbow down on his chest, winning a point. When her opponent was able to stand, he looked to be wheezing a bit. The guy was now clearly at a disadvantage, and the match ended shortly thereafter, with Yang emerging victorious.

"Yang Xiao Long wins!" the announcer yelled. "And now for the first time ever, _both _our finalists are female! Good luck, ladies. Everyone, don't forget to be back here tomorrow at ten A.M sharp for the final."

With that, people started filing out of the room. With some difficulty, I made my way through the crowd to meet up with Yang, Qrow and the others. Fighters and teachers must have had a quicker route, because they were already waiting outside by our coach when I got there. Immediately, I ran over to congratulate Yang.

"Told you I'd be fine," she answered. "But thanks."

"How do you think the final will go?"

"Just between us, kinda worried…that girl is a badass," she whispered.

"You? Worried?" I asked incredulously.

"Didn't you see her? She might even be as good as me!"

"There's the cockiness. It's back, no need to panic," I teased. We all filed onto the coach to go back to the hotel, where Yang immediately collapsed on our shared bed.

"God, I'm tired," she announced.

"I'm going to the vending machine down the hall; want anything?" I asked.

"Yeah, like, everything. Actually, no, not peanut M&M's."

I smiled as I left the room, and got Yang three bags of chips, some regular M&M's and a Kit Kat. For myself, I just got some Dairy Milk chocolate. When I got back to our room, I gave the blonde her food, and she practically inhaled the first bag of chips. I watched with an eyebrow raised as she contemplated what to eat next.

"What?" she asked when she saw me looking.

"Nothing," I answered, smiling.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Yang suddenly asked.

"You just did, but I know what you mean. Shoot."

"Promise you won't think I'm weird." I frowned at this request, but agreed. "Do you…wanna go out with me sometime?" she asked, clearly extremely nervous. My breath caught in my throat. _Did she really just say that? _I wondered. _Oh god, what do I do? I don't wanna seem too eager. Maybe I'll play hard to get._

"Win tomorrow. Then we'll see," I answered slyly, with a wink.

**A/N: There's chapter 4. Sorry about the delay; I had too much work to do. I gave you an extra-long chapter though, so there's that. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. So, will Yang win? If she does, what will Coco say? If she doesn't, what will Coco say? Stay tuned to find out…**

**Meanwhile, follow/favourite if you want to. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Coco POV**

After making sure Yang was asleep, I carefully got out of bed. After getting dressed, I very quietly made my way out of the hotel, hoping I'd be back before Yang woke up. The difficult part was finding a store with the item I was looking for that was still open at two in the morning. Eventually, though, I found what I wanted. As I brought the object to the cash register, I noticed a sign saying CUSTOM PAINT JOBS ON CERTAIN ITEMS, and got an idea.

"Can you have this painted yellow, please?" I asked the clerk.

"No problem, miss. Which part needs painted?" he responded in a friendly, albeit tired, voice.

"Just the white part," I told him.

"Sure thing. Cost you an extra five bucks, though."

"That's fine. How long will it take?" I asked.

"'Bout ten minutes, maybe less. You can come back for it later if you want, you don't have to stay."

"No, I'm good here, thanks," I said, getting out my phone to play _Angry Birds. _I sat down on a chair at the front of the store as the clerk started painting my item.

"Done," he called a few minutes later. I got up and paid for my item before heading back to the hotel. I changed back into my pyjamas and got into bed. I didn't think Yang had even stirred.

**Yang POV**

Truthfully, I was a bit worried about fighting Pyrrha Nikos. The girl was a prodigy. Hell, if she were a movie character, she'd probably be able to break solid concrete with a finger. Nevertheless, given Coco's answer the night before, I was determined to win. At this point, it wasn't even about my ego. I just wanted that date with Coco. The glory of victory would be a sweet bonus, though.

During breakfast and the ride to the tournament venue, Coco kept giving me mischievous smiles. "You know, Coco? I think we both know what's gonna happen out there. So you might as well answer me now," I told her, figuring I'd have a better chance of winning the match if I wasn't stressing about what the brunette's answer would be.

"I know nothing, Yang, except that you'd better not fuck up," she answered. A few minutes later, we arrived at the venue. "Good luck," Coco said with a wink. I headed to the mat to wait for the match to start, where Pyrrha was already waiting.

"Hello," the redhead said in a friendly tone. "No hard feelings no matter the outcome?"

"If I do hold a grudge, it won't be about losing, per se," I replied. "But still, let me win, okay?" Pyrrha laughed at that.

"I won't hold back," she told me.

"Good, because I'd hate to win _too _easily." Despite my confident demeanour, I was still worried.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind," Pyrrha said with a smile. At that point, the announcer called for everyone's attention.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" he shouted. "Pyrrha Nikos and Yang Xiao Long, both very talented martial artists, will now square off for _aaalll_ the glory! Who will prevail? Let's find out!"

To my surprise, _Eye of the Tiger _started playing as Pyrrha and I bowed and took our stances. I tuned the song out and slowly made my way towards the redhead, who narrowed her eyes. I started on the offensive, with a kick aimed at Pyrrha's face. She jumped back then attempted to sweep my feet out from under me. I jumped over her leg then tried to punch her in the side of the head, which was facing me as the momentum from her failed sweep had continued to carry her round. She ducked the strike and grabbed my arm, flipping me over her shoulder. While I was on the floor, she tried to hit me in the face, but I rolled to the side and got to my feet. The next thirty seconds were spent with the two of us exchanging blows, each blocking or dodging too fast for the other to land a hit. Eventually, after deflecting a punch with my left hand, I feinted at Pyrrha's stomach with my right hand, changing direction at the last second and going for her face. She couldn't block in time, and I followed up with a kick to the thigh. The redhead went down, and I was given a point.

When Pyrrha got up, she was laughing. "Impressive," she told me, before charging me. This time, she was more aggressive, attacking so often I didn't even have time to hit back after blocking. I focused on learning her style so I'd be able to anticipate her attacks and maybe fight back, which led to me failing to deflect a kick. I'd gotten used to blocking punches and the occasional chest-level kick, so I wasn't prepared for Pyrrha to turn her back to me and drop to the floor, bringing her foot up to connect with my chin. The force of this kick knocked me off my feet and I fell, banging my head when I landed.

"The score is now tied!" the announcer called as I was seeing double. "Next point wins!"

As he finished speaking, I recovered enough to stand. _Come on, Yang_, I told myself. _You have to do this_. Steeling my resolve, I ran at Pyrrha, drawing back my fist as I did so. She raised her hands to block the punch she thought was coming, but I suddenly turned and did a backflip. My foot hit Pyrrha's face on the way down, knocking her to the floor. The crowd erupted in cheers, and I could have sworn I heard Coco over everyone else. I scanned the crowd and saw the brunette on her feet, waving.

"Yang Xiao Long wins!" the announcer yelled as I waved back at Coco. The crowd went wild again, and the announcer waited for quiet before continuing, "Pyrrha, you put on an impressive show. You may have fallen _juuust_ short of glory, but to have made it this far is a victory in itself. Congratulations."

Ten minutes later, I was leaving the venue with my trophy, which was comprised of a pair of eighteen-inch gold poles with a sheet of glass between them. The glass had my name written in traditional Chinese frosted over it, which had been done immediately after I dealt the finishing blow. At either end of the poles, there was a block of wood. The bottom one had a plaque reading YANG XIAO LONG – U18 INTERNATIONAL KUNG FU CHAMPION,while the one on top had nothing. Due to the personalised nature of the trophy, it had been given to me at the very end of the awards ceremony, after the engraving and frosting had been done. My prize also included five grand in cash, which Qrow insisted I either invest or put towards my education.

Speaking of Qrow, he and I waited by our coach for everyone else to get out of the venue. Coco exited the building and tackle-hugged me, whispering "it's a yes on that date, by the way" in my ear. My heart did a relay race when I heard that, but I didn't dwell on it because Coco's cocoa aroma had invaded my nostrils. I now realised that I couldn't think straight when I smelled that, pun not intended.

Soon enough, the others arrived and we boarded the coach to go back to DC. Like we had on the journey to New York, Coco and I claimed the back row. We got comfortable as the coach made its way out of the metropolis, which took quite a while given the traffic in the inner city. Eventually though, we were on the highway heading southwest.

"I have something for you," Coco suddenly told me, getting something out of her bag. She handed me a small white paper bag, encouraging me to open it. Inside, there was a yin yang pendant. The yang side, which is generally white, had been painted yellow.

"I love it, but really…you didn't have to," I told the brunette, who had been watching me intently.

"Yeah, but I wanted to," she answered. "Got a problem with that?" Her tone told me she was teasing.

"No, like I said, I love it. It's awesome. But can I just ask: when did you get this?" I asked, putting the pendant round my neck.

"Around two A.M.," she replied. Seeing my sceptical face, she added, "seriously. You didn't even stir when I got out of bed."

"Ooooh…kay then," I said, still somewhat doubtful. "So, how does dinner on Friday sound?"

"Sounds great, I can't wait," Coco said with a smile. The rest of the journey was spent much like the one to the city we'd just left, except I was much more tired. We got back to Qrow's gym several hours later, and Coco and I walked back to Beacon together. We separated and went to our respective dorms to relax and be rested for classes the next day. When I got back to my room, I was met with a pleasant surprise.

"YANG!" my sister, Ruby, yelled after I opened the door. I didn't see her much, because she was still in high school, so I wasn't expecting her to be waiting for me.

"RUBY!" I yelled back, just as enthusiastically. I put my bag and trophy down and enveloped the girl in a bear hug that squeezed the air from her lungs.

"Can't…breathe…" she panted. I let her go so she could catch her breath, then she asked, "I assume you won?"

"Of course I did, Ruby," I answered. She rolled her eyes, long used to my cockiness.

"Can I see the trophy?" she asked.

"Go ahead," I replied, gesturing at it.

"Congratulations, Yang," Blake said. I noticed for the first time that she was there. "Good trip?"

"You could say that," I told her, trying to keep my voice level. I didn't want her thinking anything had happened with Coco while Ruby was in the room. That would be a can of worms I didn't want opened. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I was still wearing the pendant Coco had given me. At least, I forgot about it until Blake noticed.

"Nice pendant," she told me.

"Yeah, thanks. The yang side is yellow," I replied, hoping I wasn't blushing. Thankfully, Ruby unknowingly came to my rescue.

"What does this say?" she asked, pointing at the Chinese lettering on my trophy.

"My name," I told her.

"But it says that down here," she said, pointing at the plaque at the bottom.

"Your sister's so cocky she needs her name at least twice on her trophies," Blake told Ruby. "Why didn't you get it in Korean while you were at it?"

"I didn't design the damn thing!" I protested. "I didn't even know what it looked like until they gave it to me!"

"I know, I'm just teasing."

"Is this real gold?" Ruby asked.

"No idea," I answered truthfully.

"Well, I'd better get going," Ruby said wistfully. "I have a lot of homework to do. I'll miss you."

"Bye. Great to see you," I replied as my sister left the room.

"So. You didn't buy that pendant for yourself, did you?" Blake asked.

"No…?" I replied warily.

"Anything else happen with Coco?"

"Maybe," I told her.

"When's the date?"

"You're perceptive," I said, impressed.

"I read a lot, honey. Sherlock Holmes taught me a lot about deduction. You gonna answer my question?"

"Friday. Dinner. Don't know where."

"What does she like?" Blake asked.

"Hot chocolate. No idea what else," I answered.

"Take her to a steakhouse. They're not exactly cheap, she'll know you're serious about this." Seeing my quizzical face, she added, "Oh yeah, you're paying."

"Why?" I asked.

"Who asked who out?"

"I asked her. What difference does that make?" I replied.

"It's courteous. You pay for your date," she told me.

"I've never had to pay," I said, confused.

"Ever asked anyone out?"

"No, guys ask me."

"There you go. How you getting there?" Blake asked.

"Motorcycle?"

"Why are you asking me that? You should be asking Coco, 'hey, should we take my motorcycle?'"

"Fair point. I'll ask when I see her," I replied.

The next few days were spent with me anxiously awaiting Friday. I was excited, but also nervous. I _really _didn't want anything to go wrong. The week felt like an eternity, but finally date night rolled round. I dressed in my best outfit and started taming my blonde mane. During this ordeal, Blake watched with a smile.

"You could help," I snapped.

"No, you're the hairstyling student," she replied. "I'm studying literature." I groaned, and continued my efforts. Half an hour later, I couldn't be bothered doing any more, and figured I looked fine anyway.

"See you later," I told Blake.

"Good luck," she replied as I left our room. I walked to Coco's dorm and knocked. The door opened, and I was greeted by a rabbit Faunus with brown eyes and hair.

"Hi," she said shyly. "I take it you're Yang?" I nodded, noting her Australian accent. "Coco! She's here!"

"Hi," Coco said, suddenly appearing in the doorway. "All right, Velvet, I don't know when I'll be back," she told the Faunus, closing the door. "Shall we go?" she asked. I nodded, and walked with her to Beacon's multi-level parking facility where my motorcycle was located.

"You look great, by the way," I told her on the way.

"Thanks. You do too," she replied, blushing. We got to the parking facility soon after, where motorcycle owners had lockers in which to keep their helmets. I always kept an extra one in case I had a passenger, which I gave to Coco.

"Steak okay for you?" I asked, putting on my own helmet. She nodded as she put hers on. I climbed onto my bike with Coco right behind me. I was very aware of her arms round my waist and her breasts pressing into my back. Throttling up the bike's engine, I eased my way out of its parking space and onto the street. The ride to the steakhouse took about five minutes, during which it was all I could do to focus on the road. When we arrived, we entered the restaurant and I announced to the host that I had a reservation for two.

"Name?" he asked.

"Long," I told him. He nodded, and guided us to our table. We sat down and perused the menu, making small talk as we did so. We ordered a bottle of wine to go with our meal, which we finished in no time. The steak was fantastic, but I was too busy thinking about what was going to happen when we left to truly enjoy it. After we'd both finished, the waiter came to see if we needed anything else.

"No, thanks. Just the bill," I replied. He nodded and walked off.

"I'm having a really nice time with you, Yang," Coco told me.

"I am too, but wait til we get out of here," I replied with a wink. She blushed as the waiter came back with the bill. I paid it in a hurry and left the restaurant with my date. When we got outside, the moon was out. We put our helmets back on and got on my bike, but I wasn't driving back to Beacon just yet. I took Coco to a park that was deserted at this time of night and parked the bike. We got off and removed our helmets, then I took Coco by the hand and walked with her to the moderately sized pond in the middle.

"Nice place," she said nervously.

"Yeah, it is. I wanted a little more privacy," I told her, also nervous.

"Privacy for what?" she asked.

"This," I replied, turning to face her. I put my free hand on her cheek and brought her face closer to my own, allowing our lips to meet. She stiffened at the contact, but kissed back. The kiss was slow and gentle, but _damn_, was it an enjoyable one. I'd never kissed a girl before, but Coco's lips were just perfect. Hell, I didn't want to kiss any others _but _hers. After several seconds, I pulled back for air.

"Makes sense," Coco said, her voice higher than usual. "That was amazing," she said a second later, in her normal voice.

"I agree. Wanna do it again?" I asked, smiling.

"Definitely."

**A/N: There you go, chapter 5. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks to everyone who followed or favourited. So, Yang and Coco are now dating. Don't worry, that doesn't mean the story's over. Hell, I don't even know** **if I will end it. It might just be one of those stories that goes on. Bit like Coronation Street for those of you who know what that is, but I like to think this is better, because, you know, stuff happens and that. It's also got Yang and Coco in it, and those two are brilliant. Anyway. Sorry if I wasn't clear about the kick Pyrrha used on Yang to score; it's a real kick in Northern Shaolin but I wasn't sure how to describe it, so I did my best. Hopefully you understood well enough. If you're wondering about Yang's backflip, think about the end of the 2010 Karate Kid when Dre won, if you've seen that movie. That was my inspiration. I skipped the boring part of the date following my friend's advice, and went to the important part. You probably figured that out, but still. Anyway, leave a review and follow/favourite if you want to. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

Coco POV

As Yang and I kissed the first time, I wasn't sure if it was really happening. During the second kiss, I got so lightheaded I thought I was going to pass out. The blonde's lips were just _perfect_. So full, yet soft and tender. I would've complained that it wasn't fair, but the fact that they were on Yang meant I got to kiss them.

"So if I'm Yang, does that make you yin?" Yang asked after we separated the second time.

"Goddammit," I replied. "Can you go, like, _one frickin__' __day _without making a pun?"

"You know you love them," she told me. She wasn't far wrong. I found her puns annoying in an endearing sort of way. "Anyway, wanna head back, or stay out a while longer?" Instead of answering her, I pressed my lips to hers for a third time. The deserted park, the clear night and the light from the full moon reflecting off the pond beside me made a perfect backdrop for kissing this gorgeous creature. I decided if I could relive one moment, it would be this one. Unfortunately, though, I needed to breathe, so we had to break apart for a third time.

"I think you need more practice," Yang told me with a coy smile.

"You're one to talk, honey," I replied, also smiling. Truthfully, she was an amazing kisser. I just wanted to tease her back.

"Well, if you're gonna be like that, I might as well just take you home," she teased, sticking her tongue out at me. Still holding my hand, she brought me back to her bike. She let go of my hand to put her helmet on while I did the same, before we both got on the motorcycle. Once again, I wrapped my arms around the blonde seated in front of me, no longer nervous about the contact. As I breathed in the lavender scent of the golden mane Yang took so much pride in, she suddenly started driving. My surprise, coupled with the bike's acceleration, caused me to almost lose my grip. Luckily, I managed to hold on as Yang took us on a wild ride through the streets of DC, completely disregarding the speed limit. In her defence, there was no one out this late and she was clearly a very experienced rider, so I didn't feel like I was in danger. Eventually, she took us back to Beacon and parked, so we put our helmets in her locker and walked up to my dorm, hand in hand.

"Tonight was amazing, Yang," I told her. "Seriously."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she replied, smiling. "Anything I could've done to make it better?"

"You could've kissed me sooner," I teased, prompting a laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind next time."

"Who said there'll be a next time?" I asked with a wink.

"Uh... You did... You know... When you kept kissing me back..." she replied, sounding a tad worried.

"I know, I'm just fucking with you," I told Yang, laughing at her distress. "Though technically there won't be a next first date."

"I'd tell you to shut up and stop being a smartass, but those aren't really good words to part on," she replied. It was then that I realised we'd reached my dorm. I put my hand on the back of her head and pulled her face to mine so I could kiss her again.

"Goodnight. See you soon," I said quietly, after we'd parted.

"Goodnight," she replied as I opened my door. Once inside my room, I saw Velvet sitting on her bed in her pyjamas, looking at me expectantly.

"How'd it go?" she asked. "You look like you're buzzing."

"It was great," I told her. "Food was awesome. Then we went to a really nice park that was deserted. You can probably figure out the rest."

"Yes, I can. When are you seeing her again?"

"Soon, hopefully," I replied, realising that Yang and I hadn't even talked about when we'd be seeing each other again.

"That's good," Velvet said. "I hope everything works out for you."

"Thanks, Velvet. You're so sweet."

"You know me. I like my friends to be happy," she told me.

"I know you do. Anyway, I'm pretty tired now," I said, getting my pyjamas and heading to the bathroom to change. As I stripped, I thought about something I was going to ask Yang next time I saw her.

I left the bathroom to see Velvet under her covers, looking like she was already asleep. I crawled into my own bed and turned off the light and was asleep instantly, reliving the evening in my dreams.

I woke the next morning to sunlight filtering in through the window. Velvet was already gone, leaving her bed neatly made, as usual. I was just stretching and looking forward to a lazy Saturday when a sudden knock on the door disturbed the silence, making me jump. I got up, grudgingly crossed the room to look through the peephole and saw Yang. The sight of her immediately brightened my spirits. I opened the door and Yang almost immediately brought her lips to mine.

"Hi," she said breathlessly after pulling back.

"Morning. Sleep well?" I asked, really glad to see her.

"What do you mean, 'morning'? And why are you still in your pyjamas?" she replied, sounding and looking really confused.

"I just woke up..." I said slowly, not understanding the blonde's confusion.

"Coco. Look at the time," Yang told me. I did as she said and found that it was two in the afternoon. That came as quite the shock. I tended to sleep in on weekends, but never that late.

"Wow. Okay then. Ummm... You mind if I go shower?" I asked.

"Depends. Can I join?" Yang replied, looking dead serious. I felt myself blush as she added, "just kidding. No point me getting wet again."

"Okay. See you soon." As I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom, I wondered if the innuendo had been intentional. Considering it was Yang, probably.

Knowing how rude it is to keep a girl waiting, I showered as fast as I possibly could. As I brushed my teeth, I wondered if Yang had anything in mind for the day. _I hope so. If she asks what I want to do, we'll probably just end up kissing all day. Then again, would that be such a bad thing?_

I got dressed and exited the bathroom, at which point I was greeted with the sight of Yang smiling mischievously.

"C'mon, we're going out," she told me, bounding across the room and grabbing my hand.

"Where are we going?" I asked as Yang nearly pulled my arm out of its socket.

"You'll see," she replied mysteriously. I realised I had no choice but to follow her, so I accompanied the blonde out of my dorm, still holding her hand. We got a few stares from people we passed, but no one said anything, derogatory or otherwise.

After about half an hour of walking, Yang and I were in front of my favourite clothing store. I didn't often go there, despite how much I loved it, because the stuff they sell is a tad expensive and a student in this country doesn't exactly have oodles of cash lying around.

"I figured someone who likes fashion as much as you would like a shopping trip," Yang said.

"I like shopping, but I don't have money with me," I told her. She didn't seem fazed.

"That's fine, I got paid on Sunday."

"Didn't your uncle say you had to invest your prize money?" I asked.

"Yeah, but he didn't specify _where _I had to invest it. So I'm investing in you," she explained.

"And I assume you'll be expecting some sort of payoff?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get some kind of profit in the future," Yang replied with a wink. I blushed as I opened the door of the store.

For the next hour or so, I tried on various outfits while Yang gave her opinion on them. To be honest, she always gave some variation on "you look great in that", so to assume she was always being truthful would make me as cocky as her, if that's possible.

"You gonna try anything on while we're here?" I asked after choosing what I wanted to get.

"Nah. I don't need outfits to look nice, silly," she replied. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Actually..." she suddenly said.

"What?"

"I wanna check out their sunglasses," she replied, making her way over to the rack. She spent a good twenty minutes trying on various shades. Some were so ridiculous I figured she must have been messing around. Eventually, she settled on a pair of yellow-rimmed aviator glasses. "Okay, let's go," she told me, pulling me towards the cash register.

As we waited in line, I suddenly felt an arm round my neck and heard a gunshot.

"Nobody move!" the man holding my neck yelled. "Cashier, money, now."

"Let. Her. Go," Yang growled. That is the only way I can describe how she said it. The fury in her voice made it sound almost animalistic.

"Now, now, Blondie. Stay still or your friend's brains get splattered all over the wall," the man told her, pressing his gun to my head. "That goes for all of you. You move, try to call for help or do _anything _I don't like, the girl dies."

"Uh, sir?" the cashier asked. "How do you expect me to give you the money without moving?"

"Do not test me," the robber told him. "This girl is nothing to me, I won't hesitate to shoot her brains out if you don't hand over the money!"

"If you hurt her, then with God as my witness I will break every bone in your body and feed you your own dick," Yang said. The robber cracked up and his grip on my neck slackened a little, but not enough for me to break out.

"I have a gun, sweetie. How exactly would you plan to do that?" he asked. "You'd be dead before you planned your first attack."

"Drop the gun. Fight like a man."

"You think you can beat me?" he asked. "Your hair would get in your way. But, if you insist..." He suddenly dropped his weapon and pushed me towards Yang. She caught me and moved me to the side before turning to face the robber, who was in the middle of a kick aimed at her face. Yang just barely managed to counter in time by pushing the guy's leg aside and jabbing at his chest. He caught her arm and brought his fist down on it, causing her to cry out in pain. Yang then withdrew her fist with the guy still holding her arm and suddenly jabbed again. This punch was successful and the robber grunted. I took the time to observe his appearance. He had orange hair covering one side of his face under a black bowler hat. His green eyes glinted with mischief as he watched Yang, waiting for her next move. He also wore a long white coat and black pants, as well as black shoes and a grey scarf.

"Come on, Blondie," he taunted. "You were so confident a minute ago. Scared?" Rather than answering, Yang rushed forward and launched a spinning kick at his stomach. He caught her leg and threw her to the ground, laughing. At that point I realised his gun was lying unattended on the floor, so I picked it up to clobber him while he was distracted. Unfortunately, Yang saw me over the guy's shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise. The robber turned as I brought the gun down and easily grabbed my wrist before punching me in the gut. I doubled over in pain as he turned back to Yang. At that point, the blonde let out an almost inhuman scream of rage and got up. She launched a flurry of punches at the robber, and it was all he could do to avoid getting hit. After a few seconds, he tried to kick her but she deflected the attack. Unfortunately, the guy then managed to punch Yang in the mouth. She spat blood before throwing a right hook followed by a kick to the throat. Both attacks were successful and the guy kicked Yang again, gasping for air. The blonde wasn't quick enough and she went down. The robber took the chance to run from the store, leaving his gun behind. When he was gone, all the customers applauded Yang's efforts.

"Are you okay?" she asked me as she stood up.

"Don't worry about me, you're bleeding," I replied.

"Meh. I've had worse during training."

"Excuse me, miss?" the cashier said to Yang.

"Yeah?"

"For what you did, I'm gonna give you your stuff on the house," he told her, sounding really grateful.

"Thanks, man," Yang replied. The cashier took my new clothes and Yang's glasses and put them in a bag, which he handed to the blonde. She took it in one hand and my hand in the other and exited the store with me.

"You sure you're okay?" I asked.

"Yes, Coco, I'm fine. I just need to get the taste of blood out of my mouth. What about you?"

"Little winded, but other than that I'm fine," I replied, rubbing my stomach with my free hand.

"Okay. Well, I don't suppose you wanna do anything else after that, do you?"

"No, I need to relax now. It's not every day I receive death threats. Although, I was gonna ask you something," I answered, thinking back to the night before.

"Go ahead."

"When's the next time you're gonna be training?" I asked.

"Tonight, why?"

"I'll be joining you, if that's okay." Yang looked at me, confused.

"You usually come with me," she said, not getting what I meant. I looked at her expectantly. "Wait... You mean you wanna learn to fight?"

"Yeah. I can't always be your damsel in distress, can I? What if you're not around when someone tries to mess with me or something?"

"Fair enough. But are you sure? You know what Qrow's like. If he doesn't think you're dedicated enough, he won't teach you," Yang told me.

"I'm aware of that. I'll give it a go, if I like it, I'll keep doing it," I replied.

"That _definitely _can't be misconstrued, taken out of context."

"Shut up. You know exactly what I mean," I said, playfully hitting her.

A few minutes later, we were in my dorm. Yang was in the bathroom rinsing her mouth. She soon exited and sat next to me on my bed, not saying a word. We both remained silent as she took my hand and I leaned up against her breathing in the scent of her lavender perfume. We stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence, neither of us breaking the silence.

"So uh... The taste of blood's gone," Yang suddenly said. I knew exactly what she was hinting at and turned to kiss her softly. It wasn't a heated kiss, but there was plenty of emotion.

After a few seconds, Yang put her hand on the back of my head and parted my lips with her tongue, deepening the kiss. We explored each other's mouths as I ran my hands through Yang's hair.

"Still think you need more practice," she told me after we'd parted to breathe.

"Then why are you just staring at me?" I replied playfully. Yang shrugged and kissed me again. She gently sucked on my lower lip before sliding her tongue back into my mouth. We fought for dominance as Yang put her hand on the back of my head and pulled my face even closer to hers. We were both so distracted by the making out that neither of us noticed the door opening.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Velvet cried. Yang and I parted immediately and turned to see the Australian blushing furiously in the doorway. I felt myself blush just as much as the girl hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Well. That was awkward," Yang said. I nodded meekly. "Oh shit," she suddenly said. "I have to get ready for work. Bye. See you later." She pecked me on the lips before rushing off. When she was gone, I thought ahead to my first training session.

**A/N: I'm back! Sorry about the ridiculous wait. I lost inspiration for a while, then I started writing other stuff which is yet to be uploaded (and titled, but never mind that), and frankly, for a while I just couldn't be bothered with this. Anyway, I decided it needed a dramatic turn to keep the story going, so that's happening. I don't actually know how far that's gonna go though. So, question time. Recently I've been writing some lemons, which you will find on my profile if you wish to read. My question is this: how would you, the readers, feel about lemons in this story, assuming they were preceded by a warning and could be skipped over without missing anything relevant to the plot? I ask because I'd be willing to change the rating and include them, but I don't want to bother if none of you want it. So, tell me in a review or PM what you think sometime before the 15th of December and I'll announce the results in the soonest AN. That's all I have to say, so thanks for reading, leave a review and follow/favourite if you wish. Hope you enjoyed. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Coco POV**

Later that day, I dressed in loose-fitting clothing for my kung fu lesson and headed out to meet Yang. I found her in the main courtyard, looking bored. I walked over to her and she perked up immediately.

"Hi," she said after planting a quick kiss on my lips.

"Hi," I replied. "How was work?"

"Same as ever. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, come on." I took her hand and we walked together to Qrow's gym. The walk was uneventful, and Yang spent it making puns. We soon arrived at the gym and saw that it was empty other than Qrow. Yang explained that she was usually the only person to practice on Saturday nights, but Ren occasionally stopped by.

"Hello, Yang, Coco," Qrow greeted when he saw us. "Oh, you're…involved now?"

"Hi, Qrow. Yeah, we are. How are you?" Yang replied.

"I'm fine. And you?"

"I'm good," Yang said.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said. "I've decided I wanna learn, if that's okay."

"Yes, of course. Do you know what style you want to start with?" Qrow asked.

"Uhh…" Truthfully, I didn't know the names of any styles of kung fu.

"Wing Chun. You want to do Wing Chun," Yang told me.

"Do I?"

"Yeah, it's awesome. It's what Bruce Lee learned first," she explained.

"Okay, I guess I'll do Wing Chun," I told Qrow. He nodded, and told Yang to do the warm up with me. When we were done, Yang went off to practice while Qrow began teaching me the basics of Wing Chun, as well as giving me a lecture about the style's history. Supposedly, it had been learned by a woman named Yim Wing-Chun. It had been taught to her by a nun after Yim said she'd marry the local warlord if he could beat her in a fight. She won and took a different husband, to whom she taught the style. It was later named after her.

"The thing to remember about Wing Chun is, you attack and defend at the same time," Qrow explained. "The other thing is to relax. Muscle tension and stiffness is the downfall of the Wing Chun practitioner."

Two hours later, I was exhausted and drenched in sweat. Qrow didn't mess around when it came to practice. However, despite barely being able to stand from exhaustion, I felt oddly satisfied.

"You're not dying yet?" Qrow asked as I was getting some water.

"No…no, I'm good," I replied, breathing heavily.

"You will," he said, chuckling. "That's a promise."

"Ignore him. He says that to everyone," Yang told me, smiling. Like me, she was sweating like mad, but didn't seem overly tired. "But seriously, have you had enough yet? It's getting late."

"Getting sleepy?" I asked.

"No, but you look dead on your feet. Let's go back."

Truthfully, I was glad of the suggestion. My legs were like jelly. My arms felt so weak I doubted I'd be able to lift my shirt over my head when it was time to get changed for bed.

"You gonna be coming back, Coco?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah. What's the tuition fee?"

He merely waved his hand dismissively, telling me not to worry. I shrugged and imitated Yang's gesture with the right fist in the left hand, both palms facing the floor. Qrow did the same, then Yang and I left the gym.

The cool night air was incredibly refreshing against my skin as Yang took my hand and walked with me back to Beacon. When we got there, I saw a vaguely familiar figure lugging a suitcase towards the administration building.

"Is that…" I started to ask as Yang cut me off.

"Why is Pyrrha Nikos at Beacon? She lives in like, California or Oregon or something!" she exclaimed as the figure walked into the light cast by the lamp over the door. The person turned, probably startled by the outcry, and I saw that it was in fact the girl who'd almost beaten Yang at the tournament. Once again, her long red hair was tied back in a ponytail. I couldn't see her outfit properly from this distance, but she seemed to be wearing sweatpants and a tank top. As Yang and I got closer, her vibrant green eyes widened in recognition.

"Hello again!" she called cheerfully, waving.

"Hi," Yang replied, still sounding confused.

"Yang, isn't it?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah. This is my girlfriend, Coco," Yang replied. I blushed a little at being introduced as Yang's girlfriend. "Can I ask: why are you at Beacon? I don't mean that in a rude way."

"I want to study the Antiquity period, Ancient Greece in particular. I decided to come to DC for a change of pace," the redhead explained. "I take it you two attend Beacon as well?"

"Yeah," I answered. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Well, that sounds grand."

"By the way, there's no hard feelings about the tournament, right?" Yang asked. "I kicked you pretty hard at the end there."

"No, it's fine," Pyrrha told her. "You won, fair and square. To be honest it was the only time I've ever lost."

"Only time I've ever been worried about losing. You sure don't fuck around in a fight."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" the redhead asked.

"Yes, you should," I told her. "For Yang to say she was worried is a huge deal, given her ego."

"Shut up, Coco," the blonde said with a smile. "Anyway, see you later," she told Pyrrha.

"Bye," the redhead said, waving again.

"Didn't expect to see her again," Yang said once Pyrrha was inside. "Anyway, I should probably let you go rest now. You're obviously exhausted."

"How do you do it?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"You know, all the intense practice you do. You've been training for what, five years?"

"Oh, right," she said, chuckling somewhat. "When I started, I was like you."

"So you weren't always so cocky?"

"Be quiet," she told me, sticking her tongue out. "I mean I got as tired as you are now. If you keep training, it'll get easier."

"Okay. Anyway, as much as I love being with you, I really need to sleep before I pass out right here."

"Want me to carry you to your room?" she asked, dead serious.

"No, thanks. I'm good."

"Okay. I'll walk with you though." We headed towards my dorm building, still holding hands. Everything seemed fine until we got to the stairs, where it turned out my leg muscles refused to carry me up them.

"Um, Yang?" I asked, a tad embarrassed.

"What's up?"

"I may actually need carried." Yang laughed and scooped me up, carrying me bridal style up the stairs. She didn't put me down until we reached my door, at which point I almost fell because my legs decided to collapse underneath me. I stayed on my feet by grabbing the door frame.

"Shit, you okay?" Yang asked, her face full of concern.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow?" I replied.

"If you want."

"Cool. Goodnight," I said, kissing Yang softly.

"Night," she replied as I opened my door. I made my way over to my bed and collapsed onto it, too tired to even change. I fell asleep on top of my covers, not caring that I probably smelled really bad and that my bed would as well when I woke up.

**A/N: Back, after another delay. Sorry. Didn't have time to write this. Anyway. The history lesson about Wing Chun was accurate. I don't personally know Wing Chun, so that's why I didn't go into details about Coco's lesson. Anyway, the poll about lemons is still going on, and currently it's looking like they're gonna happen. Though to be honest, only one person voted, so I'm extending the poll to the first of January. Seriously, guys, vote. Someone did bring up a good point though, and that's that he didn't want me to rush it. Don't worry, it won't be for a while should it end up happening. Anyway, that's all I have to say, so leave a review and follow/favourite if you want. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
